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Financial Assistance

Account holders, or parties authorized to act on a customer's behalf, are entitled to make payment arrangements for water, sewer and stormwater services under the following guidelines:

Active Accounts

For active accounts, payment is due 21 days after the date of billing. Residential customers receive a bill once every 3 months. Any account holder who is unable to pay an outstanding balance when due may contact Customer Service during normal business hours to make payment arrangements or request a payment plan. Customers will be encouraged to arrange for the shortest payment time possible.

Customers billed monthly may request payment arrangements that extend the due date up to an additional 30 days.

Customers billed bimonthly or quarterly may request payment arrangements that extend over the current billing period when necessary. Payment arrangements will require that the outstanding balance be paid in full 14 days prior to the extract bill date.

If a customer defaults on a payment arrangement, additional payment arrangements will not be offered to the customer for the current balance until all missed payments are made.

Back Billed Accounts

Customers who receive a bill that was delayed or adjusted for a period greater than six months due to an error on the part of the City may establish a payment plan that will pay off the balance over a period not to exceed six months. The plan will be calculated to remove the arrears amount within the agreed time period. Customers must continue to pay their regularly scheduled bills by the established due date. Bills delayed or adjusted for a period of six months or less must be paid before the next billing cycle. Bills delayed or adjusted due to an error on the part of the customer must be paid before the next billing cycle. If a customer defaults on a payment arrangement, additional payment arrangements will not be offered to the customer for the current balance until all missed payments are made.

Final Billed Accounts

Portland Water Bureau Customer Service is not authorized to make payment arrangements for customers who have received a final bill.

Are you on a low income budget?

The following programs are available to qualifying customers:

Bill Discounts for accounts with water AND sewer service:

Discounts for income-eligible households are established each fiscal year by the Portland City Council. Contact the Community Service Center in your area to make an appointment to establish eligibility. Income eligibility requirements and Community Service Centers are identified in the Financial Assistance Brochure.

Between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015, eligible single-family residential accounts may receive a discount of $44.30 on the water portion of their bill and $85.75 on their sewer/stormwater management charges, for a total of $130.05 on a 90-day bill. To be eligible, the account holder must reside at the property.

Additional discounts for stormwater management may be available through the Bureau of Environmental Services' Clean River Rewards Program.

Eligible households experiencing a financial crisis may receive a voucher for up to $150 in assistance once every 12 months. To qualify, the household must be enrolled in the City's low income assistance program. The customer must pay a portion of the bill in order to receive assistance.

On July 1, 2007 the Portland Water Bureau and the Bureau of Environmental Services initiated a new program called Safety Net to provide emergency utility payments for ratepayers with employment, medical and other personal emergencies. The City Council authorized the utility safety net to help the City's Water and Sewer customers avoid the shut off of service if they have experienced a significant temporary change in household income. Safety Net is a last resort solution for these qualified customers who are unable to achieve a solution through normal payment options.

The Safety Net program is administered by the Portland Water Bureau and consists of four basic components:

• deferred water shut-off;

• a waiver of any recent delinquency charges;

• interest-free payment plans; and

• financial assistance.

When combined, these elements provide the time and means for customers to manage their way through a temporary crisis. The program is conditioned on responsible efforts by the customer to make regular, agreed-upon installment payments toward the payoff of past due account balances.

The City and the customer jointly determine the length of the deferral period and the number and amount of installment payments based on the size of the account delinquency and the depth or severity of the hardship. The conditions of the assistance result in a signed agreement and an initial credit is then applied to the customer's account. At the end of the agreement period, the City will apply an additional credit to further help the customer bring the account current.

The customer will return to a normal billing cycle once the agreement ends, or may work with the City to establish a new payment plan (outside of the Safety Net program) for any remaining outstanding account balance. The City may cancel the Safety Net agreement and revoke any financial assistance at any time a customer fails to meet the terms of the signed agreement.